Jefferson convicted in freezer case

Former Rep. William Jefferson was convicted Wednesday on 11 of 16 criminal counts filed against him — including charges that he accepted bribes and engaged in money laundering while serving in Congress.

Federal prosecutors said Jefferson could be sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. Prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III to jail the 62-year-old Louisiana Democrat, but Ellis allowed him to remain free on bail pending an appeal.

Story Continued Below

In July 2005, FBI agents filmed Jefferson taking $100,000 in bribes from a government informant. In a subsequent raid, agents found $90,000 in marked money in the freezer of Jefferson’s Virginia home.

The one-two punch made Jefferson — and Congress as a whole — an easy target for late-night comedians. But through it all, Jefferson denied any wrongdoing and refused to cooperate with federal investigators.

Jefferson won support from members on both sides of the aisle when the FBI raided his congressional office in 2006. The raid infuriated lawmakers as a violation of the separation of powers, and it led to a lengthy court battle over Jefferson’s constitutional privilege under the Speech or Debate Clause, which protects lawmakers and staff from legal action over official legislative duties.

Backed by a partisan group of House leaders, Jefferson took his case to a federal appeals court, which ruled that the FBI had overstepped its authority in raiding his office. The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to overturn that ruling, but the high court declined to take the case.

The corruption probe into Jefferson continued amid that court fight, and several members of his family were eventually implicated in the case or tangential investigations. A guilty plea by a former staffer and family member further damaged Jefferson’s political standing, and he was defeated in his bid for a 10th term last fall.

During the trial, Jefferson’s lawyers sought to show that he was involved in legitimate business deals and had not knowingly accepted bribes or violated the law.

But the jury rejected Jefferson’s arguments, convicting him on bribery, racketeering and money laundering charges. In all, Jefferson was convicted on 11 of the 16 counts he faced; the jury rejected allegations that Jefferson had violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

The guilty verdict against Jefferson is a solid win for the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section, which had suffered badly in the fallout over the botched corruption prosecution of former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). Stevens was convicted last October of failing to report improper gifts from an Alaska businessman, but Attorney General Eric Holder moved to vacate the decision following revelations that prosecutors had failed to provide all the evidence to the defense team.

The Department of Justice is also still moving forward on its prosecution of former Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.), who has been charged with insurance fraud and with failing to disclose a personal financial interest in a federal land swap. Renzi has denied the allegations, and congressional leaders have also formally objected to how the FBI handled a wiretap of Renzi’s phone.

Wednesday’s verdict — while not unexpected — was hailed by prosecutors and watchdog groups as a strike for integrity in government.

“The American public has a right to expect members of Congress to focus on the people’s interest, not their own interests, while serving in government. Today’s verdict reinforces that ideal,” said the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.